Mattoon is on a five-game streak of home wins, while Casey-Westfield is on a five-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Greenwave will welcome the Warriors at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are strolling into their matches after big wins in their previous games.
Mattoon's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. Everything went their way against Taylorville as they made off with a 13-0 win.
Mattoon got a great performance from Hanna Griffin as she didn't allow a single earned run over five innings pitched. Griffin has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 13 consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Lexi Murdock was a standout: she went 2-for-4 with three stolen bases, three runs, and one double. That's the most stolen bases she has posted since back in April. Another player making a difference was Kenna Karnes, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs, two doubles, and one RBI.
Mattoon was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .423. They are 3-1 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, Casey-Westfield's hitters rose to the challenge against a Silver Stallions pitching crew that boasted an average of only 2.61 runs allowed on Thursday. The Warriors were the clear victors by a 17-7 margin over Christ Our Rock Lutheran. Considering the Warriors have won 22 games by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Ava Goble made a big impact no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out six batters over six innings while giving up six earned runs off seven hits. Goble was even better at the plate, firing off two home runs and four RBI while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, Lucy Moore and Anna Karras did most of the damage at the plate: Moore went a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and two doubles, while Karras went 3-for-4 with three stolen bases, three runs, and one double. Allyson Truelove was another key player, going 2-for-5 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Mattoon is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 12-14 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.4 runs on average over those games. As for Casey-Westfield, their win bumped their record up to 28-3.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Mattoon has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Casey-Westfield struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Mattoon suffered a grim 15-0 defeat to Casey-Westfield when the teams last played back in May of 2024. Will the Greenwave have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
